Shawnigan Lake School - Yearbook (Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia Canada)

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Extract from the letter of an Old Boy, Tor Torland (1928-1933): I have just learned of the untimely death of Mr. Lonsdale. I wish to express to those of you who knew and worked with him, as well as to the others who knew of Mr. Lonsdale by reputation, my deep sorrow at the passing of one of the finest and most distinguished gentlemen of my experience. I look back on my five years at Shawnigan from the relatively distant perspective of almost two decades, for it was in 1933 that I took my matriculation. My brothers ante- ceded me by only a few years. But these twenty years, which have had their usual obliter- ative effect on other experience have done little to diminish my memories of Shawnigan and of the Head Master who was the school ' s spirit and originator. The power and clarity of these memories is shared, I am sure, by all the boys whose first glimpse of the School was a long (and perhaps tremulous) vista up the Main Drive — and whose last recollection dies only when they themselves pass. When C. W. founded the School, almost forty years ago, he was motivated — I am sure — by faith in the basic principles upon which I need not here amplify. And one of his favorite biblical texts was that passage in which, on reaching manhood, the relator says that he put away childish things . . . The meaning was clear. But if putting away childish things means to forget Shawnigan and C. W. Lonsdale — then the undersigned is one who means to make exception! God bless the memory of a great man who merited the palm more than any of us. ft -fr Tribute of the present Head Master, Mr. G. P. Kaye, at the memorial service held in the School Chapel on Sunday, September 14th: We are met this morning to pay tribute to the memory of Christopher Windley Lons- dale, the Founder, and for over thirty-eight years, the Head Master of this school, who entered into rest on Sunday, August 3rd, last. We do not gather at this time in a spirit of mourning, but rather in a spirit of praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God for the life of one who dedicated himself to the establish- ment of a great school, and the building of Christian character. There are many here to whom Mr. Lonsdale was a close and intimate friend and adviser: there are others who knew him only slightly or not at all, but all whose lives have been linked with the School or are touched by its existence must share a feeling of loss in his passing. We acknowledge a debt of humble thanks for the great gifts of courage, of vision and of intellect, which were vouchsafed to our Founder in passing on to us the blessings and opportunities that are afforded us at Shawnigan Lake School. The School itself is a memorial to Mr. Lonsdale, but we, by dedicating ourselves to God ' s purpose in these surroundings, can add to that memorial and continue the work which he has begun. Page Six

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J rib a ted to ( nridtopner l Uindleu cJLonsdale Address given by the Most Rev. H. E. Sexton, D.D., Archbishop of British Columbia, at the funeral service held at St. Anne ' s Church, French Creek. Parksville: We are assembled here today to bid an affectionate and respectful farewell to Christopher Lonsdale, — a valued friend, a man of strong personality and indomitable pur- pose, whose founding and building up of a great school from the most modest beginnings have been a remarkable, — indeed a monumental achievement. He made an outstanding contribution to real Education, realizing that not only should boys receive sound teaching, but that they should be well equipped for the battle of life. He was therefore concerned with the development of moral principle, and the training of character, moulding the lives of hundreds of boys and men, who will always remember him with gratitude and respect. He continually emphasised the need of a controlling sense of duty, the sobering influence of reverence, and the strengthening which comes from habitual self-discipline. He will be missed by a multitude of friends, whose prayer for him today is that he may increase in the knowledge and love of God, and go from strength to strength in the life of perfect service in the great beyond. May God rest his soul. ix tz tz Editorial from the Cowichan Leader, dated Thursday, August 7th, 1952: LONSDALE OF SHAWNIGAN Our earliest pioneers have passed on. They transformed forest into farms. They were the foundation of present day progress. After them came other builders whose group is lessening. Among them is to be counted Christopher Lonsdale. He was an educated Englishman, of the type whose names may be read on our 1914 war memorial. His true bent was towards education, along the lines of what we call private schools and, in England are known as public schools. Many men have visions. Most have ideals. Few are able to put them into construc- tive form . Mr. Lonsdale was among the few. He was a great visionary builder. With practically no funds and facing a host of difficulties, he instituted what thirty-eight years of hard work, careful planning and wise choices, have seen grow into the present Shawn- igan Lake School. School credit might be poor in those early days but its head was known as a man of his word. He kept his promises. He possessed wonderful judgment with boys. He did not suffer fools gladly. At ihe time of the 1926 fire his fine demeanour, organizing ability and thought for his charges were remarked. His wise provision, in 1928, for preventing his school from sharing the fate of so many privately owned schools, by becoming an independent foundation and thus owning itself, ensures that Shawnigan Lake School (Lonsdale ' s) shall continue. To it he gave his life. The years added to his picture gallery of old boys who achieved distinction in war and peace. They carried and are carrying the Shawnigan tradi- tion. In that are the Westminster connections, seen in pancake greaze, Latin grace, red cassocked choir; unseen in character. He gave the school his own family arms, with the motto which Nelson also bore: Palman qui meruit ferat. Freely translated: Let only him who deserves it have the crown of glory. Page Five

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School If lotes The most important piece cf news during the school year was, of course, the retirement of the Founder and first Head Master of the school, Mr. C. W. Lonsdale. Mr. Lonsdale ' s sub- sequent and untimely death is recorded elsewhere in this issue. The School itself is a memorial to his life and work, and his name will live forever in the annals of the school as a great Founder and Head Master. To the new Head Master and to Mrs. Kaye, we offer our best wishes for their success in thei: new sphere. At the end of the summer term we unfortunately said farewell to many members of the staff: to Mr. Boniface whose name is synonymous with the buildings and with the life of the school generally: to Miss Stewart, who in her nineteen years at the school has done a tremendous amount of valuable — and at times unseen — work, turning her hand to anything that had to be put right. We wish her well in her new venture. To Miss Forbes whose efficiency and energy as Head Matrcn we shall sorely miss: to Mrs. Banner, who by her gentle kindliness has endeared herself to all with whom she came in contact. On the teaching staff there will be many gaps. We note with regret the departure of Mr. Pearce, who has left, we understand, to do rather than to teach : of Mr. Baker, who has become a Civil Servant with the Department cf Education: and Mr. Hyde-Lay, who is to go to Switzerland for a course in Gymnastics before continuing his teaching. The weather provided us with the usual grumbles. In the fall, after an exceptionally dry summer, the football field was baked harder than usual. Everyone wanted rain. The rains came six weeks later, and in November the football field was a quagmire. Then we all wanted, but in vain, some dry weather. In the Lent term we had some cold weather, but for the first time in many years, no skating at all. In compensation we had some snow of which the ski enthusiasts made the most. The Summer term was badly named. We had too much cold and wet weather. In January the Seniors left for Tacoma to attend the dance at the Annie Wright Seminary. Our thanks are due once more to Miss Jenkins for this invitation, which has become such a highly-prized feature of Shawnigan life. During the year the following have paid us a visit to enliven the routine of school life: Mr. Justice Macfarlane was our first visitor early in September. In June, 1951, labour troubles in coastal shipping caused a cancellation of our Speech Day. Mr. Justice Macfarlane stepped into the breach on our return, gave away the prizes, and after delivering a few well-chosen ' words of advice to all, he painted a most graphic picture of the life, the problems and the vicissitudes of a circuit judge. His whimsical manner and his diversity of experience were appreciated by all. Mr. Maurer, a Canadian botanist in the employ of the British Colonial Service, showed us some lantern slides of his first trip to Northern Nigeria. His lecture included many interesting asides and photographs illustrative of native life and customs, as well as of the regional flora and fauna. We hope to see him again when he returns on his next furlough. Our thanks are due to an Old Boy who gave us a talk on that most exciting of all services, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. A fluent speaker, Constable Alexander gave us a most vivid description of life in this Service, particularly in the more remote parts of the North-west. Incident after anecdote followed hard on each other ' s heels, with the result that the time passed all too quickly. As Constable Alexander is now in Duncan, per- haps he will be kind enough to give us a second chapter this coming year. Mr. Jack Gray of the MacMillan Company of Canada, who during the closing year of the war was engaged in counter-espionage work in Holland, held us enthralled with the details of the tense and vivid moments that this work provided. After the lecture there was a more or less concerted movement on the part of the audience to sign up for this type cf work during World War III. Our very sincere thanks are due to Mr. Gray who did not allow a very heavy business trip to interfere with a visit to Shawnigan. In mid-February two representatives of the Forestry Department managed to make their way over the Malahat, a Malahat covered with deep and damp snow, to show us two excellent films and give us a most interesting talk on the importance of the forests. By the courtesy of McGavin ' s Ltd. a very interesting film, entitled Jungle Bread was shown. This film was followed by an exhibition of native implements used in this film and brought from South America by the photographer. In addition, examples of native Indian art fascinated the audience. A very popular feature of the evening ' s entertainment was the distribution of miniature loaves of McGavin bread. In May, Mr. Leeming, a member of the legal profession living in Duncan, very kindly traced for us the development of law throughout the ages and showed us why Anglo-Saxons in particular hold the law in such respect. Page Seven